


Call You Home

by StardustDragon



Series: Love Like That [7]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-28
Updated: 2016-08-28
Packaged: 2018-08-11 14:14:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7895797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StardustDragon/pseuds/StardustDragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael has to move to a new apartment, and Ryan accompanies him to the cemetery where his parents are buried.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Call You Home

**Author's Note:**

> "Call You Home" by Kelvin Jones

Nine months after Michael and Ryan first meet, Michael has to move. His landlord jacks up the rent again and he can’t afford it on what he makes at the hospital.

At first, he tries to get a second job working the midday shift for a bakery, but he quickly gets burnt out. The hospital has lost three employees this month, and while they try to hire new ones, Michael takes on as many extra hours as he can for the overtime and night-shift pay.

Going straight from one job to another and then sleeping until it’s time to get up for the first job is exhausting, and he hardly has time to see Ryan or Nicole anymore. He quits the bakery job after a couple of weeks with an apology, but the manager seems to have seen it coming.

The first thing he does, after catching up on his sleep, is spend a full day with Ryan and Nicole. When they put Nicole to bed, Michael snuggles into Ryan’s side. The weariness of his situation is catching up to him.

Ryan asks him if everything’s okay, but Michael just nods. His partner has been going through work trouble of his own with a new boss as he tries to complete his residency. Michael hadn’t even told him about the bakery job- he’d just said that work was giving him a lot of hours. It wasn’t technically a lie, but it still sits heavy in his stomach. He doesn’t want to worry Ryan with it, though.

He heads home around eleven, walking the two miles home across town to save gas. When he climbs in bed around midnight to get some rest before his five am shift, he is out immediately.

\---

Jeremy meets him for lunch at the hospital the next day so they can catch up. Michael finds himself spilling everything to his friend.

“I don’t know what to do,” he confesses. “I’m the most experienced paramedic the hospital has, but even with all the extra hours I still can’t make ends meet.” Michael sighs heavily. He can feel a headache coming on. “I’m gonna have to find a new apartment.”

“I know someone who’s subletting their apartment,” Jeremy offers. “I can get you guys in touch if you want.”

Michael lets out a breath and feels his shoulders relax a little bit. “That would be amazing, Jer. You have...no idea,” he sighs.

\---

He goes to look at the apartment the next day. It’s smaller than his, but Michael doesn’t really own a lot of things, so it won't be hard to adjust.

They come to an agreement, and Michael gives his notice to his landlord.

\---

“You’re moving?” Ryan asks over dinner one night.

“Yeah. Jackass jacked up the rent again, so I had to.”

Ryan hums.  
  
“I signed a six month lease,” Michael continues. “Didn’t wanna totally tie myself down to this place, even if it is Jeremy’s friend.”

“Do you need any help moving your stuff?”

“I mean, I don’t really have much. I started packing a couple of nights ago, and it all fits into about ten boxes. It’s mostly furniture.”

Ryan thankfully doesn’t comment on how sad it sounds, but he’s seen Michael’s apartment- it isn’t really decorated, and he isn’t very sentimental. He has a picture of his family on his nightstand, before the accident, but that’s it.

“You can use the truck if you want.”

\---

Moving day is stressful. Ryan drives the truck carrying his furniture (they have to make two trips), and Michael packs his car with all the boxes.

They bring everything in the apartment and set up the furniture, but Michael insists he can handle the boxes on his own.

He presses into Ryan and kisses him. “I have to be at work in two hours, but you are _so_ getting a ‘thank you’ blowjob later.”

"You don't have to give me a blowjob for doing something I want to do," Ryan laughs. 

"No, but I can give you a blowjob because it's something  _I_ want to do."

\---

They share dinner over the newly set-up table in the kitchen that night.

“Michael, I’ve been thinking about something you said.”

“Hmm?”

“Well, on our second date, when I told you about Nicole, you said you had a brother with a child. But when you told me about your past, you said your brother wasn’t even twenty-one yet. You have two brothers, then?”

Michael nods. “Yeah. Everything I told you about my younger brother is true. The brother I mentioned that has a kid isn’t technically my brother at all. We went through the system together. It’s just, we grew up sharing a bunk bed and we were the same age, so it was like having a brother. We don’t talk much anymore since he got married and moved out of the state, though.”

“Ah. It was just, the picture of your family only had the two of you, so I got curious.”

“It’s no problem. You should know these things about me. His picture is actually behind the picture of my family. Not that he’s less important, it just...”

“Less baggage?”

Michael shrugs. “Yeah. I, um, it can be a touchy subject for me sometimes, especially around the anniversary, but it’s in the past.”

“When was it, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Michael does the math in his head. “It’ll be twenty-one years next month. Jonathan’s birthday is a month after that.”

“Do you normally do anything the day of?”

“I visit them in the morning every year.”

Ryan nods, and Michael turns the conversation back to easier topics.

\---

“Ryan, listen,” Michael says before Ryan heads home for the night. “I want you to come with me this year. I mean, if you want to, that is. You should meet my parents.”

“I’d love to.”

\---

The day comes without much fanfare, but Ryan meets Michael at his new apartment and Michael drives them to the cemetery. It’s about forty-five minutes out, so the drive is spent making small talk.

\---

It’s a peaceful walk to the site, and Michael clearly knows the area by heart. Ryan’s aches for his partner’s pain, though he seems stoic.

They sit down in front of a double headstone with “JONES” written on it, along with their names and dates. Ryan makes the assumption that the date carved in the middle underneath two intertwined rings is their anniversary date.

Michael sets a beautiful arrangement of peonies and pink carnations on top of the stone. Michael had told him on the drive over that the peonies stood for healing, and the carnations for remembrance. 

“Hey, mom, dad. It’s Michael. I brought someone with me this time. This is Ryan, my partner.”

He pauses for a moment, and Ryan speaks. “Hi Mr. and Mrs. Jones.”

Michael cracks a small smile, thankful that Ryan understands.

\---

Together, they tell Michael’s parents about what’s been going on in the last year, and about Nicole.

When they leave the cemetery gates, they both feel a sense of calm wash over them. Michael pulls Ryan close and buries his face in his chest.

“Thank you for coming with me, Ryan.”

Ryan kisses the top of Michael’s curls. “I’ll be here next year if you want me, too.”

The drive back into town is quiet, the radio playing softly.

_“Can I call you home? You’ll be mine and I’ll be yours. I just wanna let you know, in my mind I call you home.”_

Ryan reaches out to take Michael’s right hand that’s resting on the console in the middle.

Once they pull up to Michael’s apartment, they head inside to relax on the couch, just wanting to be with one another.

_“In my mind, I call you home...”_

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
